The Child

By: Angel Van Atta

Narrated by: Jennifer Ryan

Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Sarah is worried. More than just worried. Sarah is terrified. Her young daughter, Emma, hasn't been acting herself lately, and it's getting harder and harder to keep the whole thing under wraps. Especially when Nadine, the nosy neighbor from next door, is starting to suspect something and Sarah's sister, Jess, just shows up unexpectedly, making everything even more difficult for Sarah. If there is one thing that Sarah does understand about Emma, one thing that she is absolutely sure of, it's that she loves her more than words could ever say and that she would do anything to protect her child. Will her mother's love be enough to save her little girl, and will she be able to figure out what happened to her precious child before it's too late to bring her back?

©2019 Angel Van Atta (P)2024 Angel Van Atta

WOW! This story had it ALL! <3

This story had it all. Extreme horror: it started right off with the gory. Then the mild bloody suspense filled horror, that whittled down to a surprising happier ending than I had anticipated (a possible HEA?? you decide).

JUST WOW!! But hold onto your furbabies... *bites nails*

This is my first Angel Van Atta story and it won't be my last! The narrator did a great job with this, and helping build the tension filled thrill ride throughout the story. <3
I'm looking forward to this series. :-)

This is why I don't have children

I was asked by the author to listen to the audible version of The Child and leave an honest review. I am so happy I got to do this listen.
First, the writing is outstanding. Angel’s descriptive prose sucks you right in from the very beginning. I could hear every squelch of flesh, smell the iron in the blood-soaked floors and hear every bone crunch as they snapped like a candy cane in the 4 year-olds mouth. This an extreme novel with lots of gore and violence, however it also has humor, love and understanding. It’s fast-paced with lots of action, and who doesn’t love a horrifying sadistic child?

Anyone who has listened to a story knows that the narrator can kill a quality book if they can’t convey the feel or tension the author provides on paper. No worries here though, Jennifer Ryan is outstanding in her read of Van Atta’s tale.

Download this file, listen to it, get yourself a sardine pizza with white sauce and listen to it again.

Great story

I enjoyed listening to this book. The story flowed well & the narration was fantastic. Parts made me cringe, while other parts made me laugh. Overall, very enjoyable!

Satisfyingly gory and filled with love

I'm not a horror enthusiast, but I gave this one a shot. I mean, come on have you seen the adorable little girl on the cover?! How could you not find out her story? I enjoyed *almost* all of it. The scenes involving animals were really hard for me, but I still enjoyed this tale. This one truly put the "un" in unconditional love! The ending was definitely a surprise I did not see coming. ❤️

A Modern Myth

Angel Van Atta has crafted a magical realm straight out of a myth. It is a sometimes very violent story, but the violence is necessary for the story and is very well written. The narrator's bright, cheerful voice adds a layer of depth to the words. I would definitely recommend this book. There is a sequel, so I'm looking forward to listening to that next.

Wonderfully Unexpected!

I am not much into gore so I must admit the first chapter had me a bit nervous, but the storyline grabbed me and I had to find out what was going on. The very detailed description into the characters played like a movie in my mind and as I unexpectedly grew to really like the “bad guy” I wondered how it could possibly end without being disappointing. It wasn’t anything that I expected and I couldn’t think of a better ending. I am very excited to read this author’s other books!

I'm blown away

I truly can't believe that this is a debut novel. It is so incredible. All of the characters are so REAL to me in a way that even some established authors can't seem to manage. The author referred to herself as a "housewife with a pen," but I hope she can see how silly and inaccurate thats statement really is. She is so much more than that. She is a massive talent, and a force to be reckoned with. And I think Stephen King better watch his back, because this "housewife with a pen" has at least as much, but probably more, talent and creativity than he does these days.

unapologetically weird!

Most writers are very picky about the subgenre their horror novel sits in. Will it be "weird", "cosmic", or "extrene"? Thankfully, Angel Van Atta checks "all of the above". This book ALSO manages to be sympathetic and beautiful as well. It balances warm compassion and gut gobbling, flesh tearing, and eyeball popping gross-ness with an even hand. There's definitely room for growth -which is true of all burgeoning indie authors, myself included- but Angel tells a wicked story with depth and detail. The Child is an excessively weird book... and it's easy to fall headfirst into!

Excellent Work Of Dark Fiction

The opening of this novel reminds me of the Georgie scene in IT. Dark, creapy and crawly but definately not a rip off. I enjoyed the way the author takes the time to flush out each of the child's victims prior to killing them off. Her efforts make them matter to the listener and increases the impact of their deaths. I also liked that the author took the time to tell large segments of the story through the eyes of the child and leads the reader to believe that she will be the final villian before taking the story in an entirely different direction. The ending pleasantly surprised me as well. Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definately listen to the other books in the series. Bravo!

A Gory & Heartbreaking Love Story.... of sorts

Stories in a story of loss, heartbreak, love, & redemption all within the horror genre. Simply told without chapters & chapters of description, which I appreciate greatly. Narration distracted me often. There is disturbing gore but overall a good tale that kept my interest.